Could insulin pills prevent diabetes? Big study seeks answer

For decades, insulin shots have been a life-saving diabetes treatment. Now scientists have raised an unusual question. What if insulin in pills could prevent the disease?

They’re testing that idea in children and adults in a big study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

To qualify, subjects must have lab tests that show they’re at risk for developing Type 1 diabetes. That’s the kind usually diagnosed in childhood. It affects a little over 1 million Americans and is increasing worldwide for unknown reasons.

Thirteen-year-old Hayden Murphy of Plainfield, Illinois, is among the participants. He swallows a white capsule every day containing either insulin or a placebo. He’s hoping to avoid a life-changing condition, and he wants to help scientists better understand a disease already diagnosed in his little brother.